Feeling Uncomfortable, Unwelcome, Unprepared? Good News: You’re Not Alone.
Once upon a Christmas, Pedro* and I set off for church. I'm spending the holiday with L'Arche in part to get a chance to see my husband (whose holiday schedule has him sharing time for up to 13 hours a day) and in part because the L'Arche members are a part of my family. I've spent my last five Christmases with them, so when my friend Pedro sets his heart on going to mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral, I open my heart and say yes to accompanying him there. We take a few wrong turns in the labyrinthine parking garage,...
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How to Love Someone Who (For the Moment) Thinks That You’re The Devil
Since it's the holiday season, I think it's only right that I share a story about keeping love alive in a tense time. Because let's be honest -- if you're human, you're probably going to experience at least one moment of stress when it comes to spending time with your loved ones this year. Someone is going to do something or say something that will drive you a little crazy. (Or a lot.) When this happens, how will you respond? Will the difficult experience serve as a gift disguised as a dilemma, actually bringing you closer? Keep these questions in...
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Launch Day: Love’s Subversive Stance is Here!
It's the day you've been waiting for; Love's Subversive Stance is finally here! I'm proud to offer you this ebook, which contains 90+ pages of stories to help you go deeper with your most challenging relationships. If you want to say YES to standing on the subversive soil of love, pick up your copy today! Some early reviews: "The more I read of this book, the more I love it. It's really a beautiful collection of stories." -Allison McGinley, Be Not Afraid "Congratulations! I love the book...beautifully laid out." -Arvind Devalia, Make It Happen "...All I can say that it...
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What To Do When You Are Afraid (& Some Big News)
"Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don't open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument." - Rumi I woke up this Saturday morning feeling entirely out of sorts. I'd had a nightmare, I felt exhausted, and all I could think of were the million-and-one things on my to-do list for the month ahead. I didn't think about the sunshine and beautiful weather, or the Skype date I had scheduled with my best friends. Despite the excitement of this season of my life (*hints at the big news*), I just...
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The Secret to Knowing When You’ve Done Enough
A few quick announcements: 1. Welcome, RowdyKittens readers! I'm thrilled that you're here, and honored to have shared a 2nd guest post on Tammy Strobel's site. Consider receiving posts via email; when you do, you'll receive a copy of my book, "Your Creed of Care: How To Dig For Treasure In People (Without Getting Buried Alive)". 2. A Wish Come Clear community, you can find the RowdyKittens post here: It's Not Far: On Finding Beauty All Around Us. 3. There's a special giveaway for commenters on this post; read on! *** This week it has come to my...
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On Launching An Ebook (And Reliving Dance Class)
I went for a run on Saturday night, to clear my head. On the whole, I'd spent a satisfying day... shipping a thank-you gift to my best friend and virtuoso (ebook + interior) designer Tammy drafting the chapter outline and first few pages of my next ebook (!) doing 2 hours, 22 minutes of line edits for "Your Creed Of Care" with Tammy, via Skype eating tacos with my husband. All this should have added up to a sense of accomplishment (except, perhaps, for the tacos.) "Your Creed Of Care" was (is) moving along right on schedule. It looks amazing,...
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Do You Dare To Think…Small?
I have a confession to make: I can be my own best buzzkill. I was this week. Two nights ago, I was thrilled to hear that I'd made my first affiliate sale. Someone purchased Inside-Out Simplicity via A Wish Come Clear (thank you, whoever you are.) Someone had a fantastic book to read...and I'd made a sale! I've had (wonderful, generous) donations, but a sale! I bounced around with excitement. I tweeted about it with Josh Becker (the author.) He was glad to be a part of my first sale. I thought about how exciting it was, how much I'm...
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Kick-Start Your Creativity: 4 Steps To My Brother’s Beat
I have a confession to make: I'm so excited to travel to New Jersey for a vacation next week. Before you start with the Jersey jokes, let me tell you why. I'm going to see my family and friends. I'm going to sit in my pajamas and have coffee with my dad. My mom and I will, inevitably, watch Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, of course.) I'll see my friends Tammy and Niall (also known as Houseplay Designs and Houseplay Renovations) and hear about their growing, sustainability-focused business. My brother Willie and I will do puzzles and go for...
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Overcoming Passive Barriers: Impossibility Vs Possibility
First, a big thank you to readers ~ A Wish Come Clear has a Facebook page & username, thanks to your support! *** I'm a big fan of breaking down barriers. Passive barriers, to be precise. I'd never heard of them until recently. For a brief introduction, I quote from Ramit Sethi, who defines passive barriers like this in his guest post on Get Rich Slowly: "Passive barriers are things that don’t exist, so they make your job harder. A trivial example is not having a stapler at your desk; imagine how many times a day that gets frustrating. For...
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5 Simple Ways To Show Love (Today And Everyday)
In my time serving alongside people with disabilities at L'Arche, I've been the glad recipient of a lot of love. Here are a few specific ways of sharing love that stayed with me. May they bring a spark to your day! These are set in the style of 'The 5 love languages': Words of affirmation 1. Tell someone the truth of what they mean to you, or how they inspire you. A well-spoken, heartfelt compliment can feed the soul for weeks. Case in point: once, when Leo* told me, "Your temperament is all smiles," I was blown away. Leo is...
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